Dog in the garden

[Sabine]

I am still shaking as I type. I had just set up a fabulously large run attached to the two enclosed runs. I was hoping to take pictures later delighted with the way five of my rabbits have bonded.
All my hopes have been crushed now. A while ago a large labrador entered the garden and chased the rabbits in the open run. He was large enough to jump the run so I stood there in panic trying to pick up the rabbits and put them into the enclosed bit and fighting off the dog at the same time who took rather little notice of me. Magic jumped the run in panic and was chased by the dog in the garden. Lint squeezed her head through the bars in fear and was stuck. I had to actually bend the bars to get her head out.
The dog apparently belongs to people in another estate and is roaming around by himself. We have been here for over two weeks and I have seen the dog around countless of times and don't understand what sparked off todays attack. In fact he kept coming back several times and I had to use a broom stick to get rid of him.
I am not even sure if the enclosed runs are secure enough at this stage as he was really determined to get at them trying to push over the wooden houses that attach to the run.
Thankfully I managed to catch Magic who was paralized with fear and had pooped all over herself.
I just had to run out again to chase the dog again. I picked up stones now to throw at him. I hate to hurt an animal but I can't let that dog kill my rabbits just because their owners won't be responsible. I am so scared for them.

 

[paul2641]

Sabine, I completely understand your situation you have to protect your pets! Really I hate when people let there animals go running around if there a threat to anyone else or there pets, How did you bond 5 of your rabbits? Do they all live in one hutch?

 

[Flashy]

Oh I'm so sorry.

Is there anyone you can call over there about a rogue dog? You need to protect your buns and so reporting the dog and getting him collected makes a lot of sense.

I truly hope the buns suffer no ill affects of this trauma (and i hopw you don't either).

 

[Sabine]

Thankfully David just came home and we noticed a phone number on his collar. The owner came up to collect him. I still worry he'll be back

 

[paul2641]

Sabine wrote:

Thankfully David just came home and we noticed a phone number on his collar. The owner came up to collect him. I still worry he'll be back

What where the owners like? Did they really care about what happened?

 

[Sabine]

paul2641 wrote:

Sabine, I completely understand your situation you have to protect your pets! Really I hate when people let there animals go running around if there a threat to anyone else or there pets, How did you bond 5 of your rabbits? Do they all live in one hutch?

The five are only together in the run. They have still the old hutch set up but we will connect two hutches and house Oskar with 2 of the girls.

 

[Flashy]

At least you have a rest for now.

Is there anyway to secure your garden?

 

[Sabine]

The owners were nice enough and claimed he had just escaped but I don't really believe it. I've seen the dog every single day.

 

[paul2641]

Sabine wrote:

paul2641 wrote:

Sabine, I completely understand your situation you have to protect your pets! Really I hate when people let there animals go running around if there a threat to anyone else or there pets, How did you bond 5 of your rabbits? Do they all live in one hutch?

The five are only together in the run. They have still the old hutch set up but we will connect two hutches and house Oskar with 2 of the girls.

Oh cool, Was it hard work to get them even to put up with each other?

Maybe you should let them no that the dog has been around daily and they might start taking this more seriously.

 

[Sabine]

I think the moving house helped with the bonding as the garden was unmarked territory. After the stressful experience with the dog they seem to be even truly bonded reassuring each other in turn. Magic isn't back to her lively self yet. She got the worst shock being chased after having jumped the run.

 

[kherrmann3]

I'm sorry to hear about your bunnies. That stinks that they just let their dog run free. My parent's neighbors do that (but my bunnies were never outside, so I never had to worry). I can see where that would be super frustrating, though.

If it continues, I would call in and report that the dog is always loose. Don't they have some form of leash-law there?

 

[paul2641]

Sabine wrote:

I think the moving house helped with the bonding as the garden was unmarked territory. After the stressful experience with the dog they seem to be even truly bonded reassuring each other in turn. Magic isn't back to her lively self yet. She got the worst shock being chased after having jumped the run.

Oh cool, I was thinking of trying to bond 4 of my lot soon, It is just getting around to it, I love big groups of rabbits.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

you have more composure then me i am a mad woman when it comes to my animals, or maybe it is the Philly in me. I have had a neighbors dog corner me and my dogs in my yard when i was living in philly and i went right to her house and BLASTED her,lol. Needless to say it was one of those things where after i thought about it when i calmed down i thougth i could have been a little nicer,lol i am so sorry to hear about your neighbors, that is extremely frustrating when someone doesnt take responsibility for thier animals

 

[anneq]

Oh dear, I would've been furious at the owners had that happened to us - and I cannot imagine the panic you experienced.
We live in a fairly rural area, and fortunately the only animals that seem to be let run free are cats, which don't bother my bunnies.
I have lived in larger farming areas where when people had let their dogs run loose or abandoned them, they would form up in packs and terrorize other animals - the county law was well enforced - anyone who was losing livestock had an absolute right to shoot a dog on-sight if they were after livestock - the dogs would also chase down deer, so people around there didn't tolerate loose dogs at all.

 

[SunnyCait]

I think you should call those neighbors again or visit them, and explain WHY this CAN'T happen again. Having a loose dog is not only a danger for others in the area (rabbits, small kids out to play, etc.) but it's also VERY dangerous for the dog.

Also, I've had the sheriff called on my dogs for LESS, if you want to go that route. I would only do that if you talk to them and the dog comes around again or you see him out.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Couple of things--since you're geographically far removed, we don't know what the laws are concerning loose/dangerous animals there. Here, I could shoot to protect my animals--only if really dire though. I wouldn't blame the dog--it's the owner at fault for not training and restraining. I would contact the constabulary and raise a strident complaint--list all the things you mentioned. Dog is always out, damaged my property and SCARED myself and my pets and that you don't feel safe because the owner's are obviously not responsible as the dog is always roaming and is a danger to people and pets. The fines here are significant and go up if there is more than one incident. Can even result in the animal being removed from present owners. Best thing is to establish a documented paper trail. That way you can support your position over the owner's if there are more problems. Good luck.

 

[Sabine]

Unfortunately it is a very Irish thing, especially in estates, that people let their dogs roam around. There are laws but they are not being enforced. In fact I have friends who leave their dog roam around and are appalled at dog wardens impounding dogs occasionally.
I used to live in a very rough estate where my complaining about someone's dog would have caused loads of harrassment and bullying coming my way. That's why I chickened out and let David do the phoning up. The owner was nice but I have no daubt that that dog will be out again and I am terrified for my rabbits. To make matters even worse the owner told us this dog was a rescue etc and he is a lovely creature adored by everyone in the area.... but he has it in for my rabbits. I suffered years of abuse in the place I lived before i am terrified of making enemies only weeks after moving into a new place.

 

[maherwoman]

Oh Sabine...that's awful!!

I tell ya...I love dogs, and want to own one at one point in the future...but my experience with them over the past six months and how they react to bunnies has really put a sour flavor in my mouth about them in general. Even my husband, Danny, says he's not sure he wants to own one in the future now.

I don't know if you read about this or not, but I had an experience where we were basically homeless for seven months, living in a motel with our two kitties, but couldn't bring our bunnies...so they had to live in the backyard of a friend of ours. Well, though the yard was protected and their cages were protected (we had a gate around their cages, wire mesh around the bottom cages, etc.), four very large dogs that were a pack got into the yard, tore open the bottom four cages, and though they didn't get to the buns to injure them, all four in the bottom cages had heart attacks and passed away almost immediately. The other four, we put into carriers and brought back to the motel room with us (we couldn't have done that with eight, which was why we didn't before then), and they've been with us ever since...and we didn't have any long-term problems from the experience with them. (Thank goodness!!)

I did, however, keep a close eye on them for the two weeks afterward, because when buns get a large dose of adrenaline (like they would in that situation), they don't process it well, and a heart attack can result within a couple weeks of the stressful incident.

I'm SO GLAD you were able to save everyone...and you didn't lose anyone. It was horrible losing four of ours that way (one was my husband's, one was my daughter's, the other two were mine), and I'm glad you don't have to go through that experience.

Keep an eye on them over the next couple weeks, though...and I recommend keeping them inside during this time, too, as well as keeping their stress level as low as possible. I'm sure you won't lose anyone...but just to be on the safe side.

I'm glad everyone's safe, though...what a relief! I was so scared when I read your title...got flashes of what we had to go through. It was just horrible...

((HUGS)) for you AND the bunnies!!

Rosie*

 

[Becca]

i know exactly how u feeel 2 dogs come into my garden too - i dont know if u read in my blog dippys neear death experience...it was similar to this story apart from the dogs liv over the road from me and they escape often... scary!

glad no one was seriously hurt nd i hope it doesnt happena agin!

 

[Sabine]

Thanks for your kind words, Rosie. I do remember reading about your experience and at the time thought it was something that could never happen to me. At the time I lived in a place that had a perfectly safe garden and no predator could ever get to the buns. I am surprized none of the rabbits had a heart attack. Magic seems to have recovered from her shock and thank God Lint didn't suffer any injuries from getting her head wedged through the bars. I just dread to think what would have happened had we been out.